Method of collecting information for a geographic database for use with a navigation system

ABSTRACT

A method for operating a navigation system computes a pedestrian route for travel by a pedestrian. A request for the pedestrian route between a first location inside a building and a second location inside the building is obtained. A geographic database associated with the navigation system is accessed for data representing a plurality of pedestrian paths. A solution pedestrian route from the origin to the destination comprising a series of connected pedestrian paths between the first location and the second location is determined. A guidance message that identifies a feature visible from at least one of the pedestrian paths is provided.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of application number Ser. No.13/025,353 filed on Feb. 11, 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,019,537 which wasa continuation of application Ser. No. 12/767,136, now U.S. Pat. No.7,912,638 filed on Apr. 26, 2010, which was a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 12/338,060, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,739,044, filed Dec.18, 2008, which was a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/789,869,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,487,041, filed Apr. 26, 2007, which was acontinuation of application Ser. No. 11/583,454, now U.S. Pat. No.7,248,966 filed Oct. 19, 2006, which was a continuation of applicationSer. No. 10/881,310, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,149,626 filed Jun. 30, 2004,which was related to the applications all filed on Jun. 30, 2004: U.S.Pat. No. 7,266,447; application Ser. No. 10/881,660; U.S. Pat. No.7,421,341; U.S. Pat. No. 7,460,953; and application Ser. No. 10/880,816,the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and system for collectinginformation for a geographic database, and more particularly to a methodand system for collecting pedestrian-related information for ageographic database.

Vehicle navigation systems are available that provide end users withvarious navigation-related functions and features. For example, somenavigation systems are able to determine an optimum route to travelalong a road network from an origin location to a destination locationin a geographic region. Using input from the end user, and optionallyfrom equipment that can determine the end user's location (such as a GPSsystem), the navigation system can examine various potential routesbetween the origin and destination locations to determine the optimumroute. The navigation system may then provide the end user withinformation about the optimum route in the form of guidance thatidentifies the driving maneuvers required to be taken by the end user totravel from the origin to the destination location. The guidance maytake the form of visual and/or audio instructions that are providedalong the way as the end user is traveling the route. Some navigationsystems are able to show detailed maps on displays outlining the route,the types of maneuvers to be taken at various locations along the route,locations of certain types of features, and so on.

In order to provide these and other navigation-related functions andfeatures, navigation systems use geographic data. The geographic datamay be in the form of one or more geographic databases that include datarepresenting physical features in the geographic region. The geographicdatabase includes information about the represented geographic features,such as the positions of the roads, speed limits along portions ofroads, address ranges along the road portions, turn restrictions atintersections of roads, direction restrictions, such as one-way streets,and so on. Additionally, the geographic data may include points ofinterest, such as restaurants, hotels, airports, gas stations, stadiums,police stations, and so on.

Although navigation systems provide many important features, therecontinues to be room for new features and improvements. One area inwhich there is room for improvement relates to determining a route for apedestrian and to providing guidance to the pedestrian following theroute. Pedestrian routes and guidance provides challenges not associatedwith vehicle guidance. Pedestrians are not limited to travel only on theroad network; rather, pedestrians may walk through public spaces, suchas plazas and parks, having no associated road network. Additionally,pedestrians do not have direction restrictions as a vehicle; pedestrianscan walk down a one-way street in both directions. Moreover, pedestrianshave a greater degree of freedom of motion and may become morefrequently confused as to their orientation to destination.

Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have an improved way to guideusers of a navigation system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To address these and other objectives, the present invention comprises amethod for operating a navigation system. The method obtains an orderedplurality of interconnected segments providing a route from an origin toa destination. The method forms a guidance message for each of thesegments. The step of forming the guidance message comprises determiningwhether to reference a previous segment and adding a reference to acurrent segment.

Another aspect of the present invention is a navigation systemcomprising a route guidance application that provides a guidance messagefor each segment of a route between an origin and a destination. Theguidance message comprises a reference to a previous segment and areference to a current segment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described hereinwith reference to the following drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a navigation system, according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a map of a geographic region.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a geographic database included in thenavigation system depicted in FIG. 1, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of components of data records contained in thegeographic database depicted in FIG. 3, according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a representation of a portion of the geographic regiondepicted in FIG. 2, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for collecting pedestrian information forunorganized geographic areas, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7A is a representation of a plaza.

FIG. 7B is a representation of the plaza of FIG. 7A containing virtualpedestrian segments, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart collecting pedestrian information for organizedgeographic areas, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9A is a flow chart for collecting pedestrian text route guidanceinformation, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9B is a representation of a portion of a train station.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of components of pedestrian segment andorientation node data records, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a table of pedestrian segment data records in the geographicdatabase, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a table of orientation node data records in the geographicdatabase, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of components of a pedestrian text routeguidance data record, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating components of the output of aroute calculation function, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart for creating a pedestrian guidance message,according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 16A-D is a flow chart that depicts a more detailed method ofconstructing the pedestrian guidance message as the depicted in FIG. 15,according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 17A and 17B provide examples of creating pedestrian guidancemessages, according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIGS. 18A, 18B and 18C are screen shots of pedestrian guidance messagesa pedestrian may receive using the navigation system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I.Navigation System

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a navigation system 100 associated with acomputing platform 102, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA),mobile telephone or any other computer, according to an exemplaryembodiment. The navigation system 100 is a combination of hardware andsoftware components. In one embodiment, the navigation system 100includes a processor 104, a drive 106 connected to the processor 104,and a non-volatile memory storage device 108 for storing navigationapplication software programs 110 and possibly other information.

The navigation system 100 also includes a positioning system 112. Thepositioning system 112 may utilize GPS-type technology, a deadreckoning-type system, or combinations of these or other systems, all ofwhich are known in the art. The positioning system 112 may includesuitable sensing devices that measure the traveling distance speed,direction, orientation and so on. The positioning system 112 may alsoinclude a GPS system. The positioning system 112 outputs a signal to theprocessor 104. The navigation application software programs 110 that runon the processor 104 use the signal from the positioning system 112 todetermine the location, direction, orientation, etc., of the computingplatform 102.

The navigation system 100 also includes a user interface 114 that allowsthe end user to input information into the navigation system 100 andobtain information from the navigation system 100. The input informationmay include a request for navigation features and functions of thenavigation system 100. To provide navigation features and functions, thenavigation system 100 uses a geographic database 116 stored on a storagemedium 118. In one embodiment, the storage medium 118 is installed inthe drive 106 so that the geographic database 116 can be read and usedby the navigation system 100. In one embodiment, the geographic database116 may be a geographic database published by NAVTEQ North America, LLCof Chicago, Ill. The storage medium 118 and the geographic database 116do not have to be physically provided at the location of the navigationsystem 100. In alternative embodiments, the storage medium 118, uponwhich some or the entire geographic database 116 is stored, may belocated remotely from the rest of the navigation system 100 and portionsof the geographic data provided via a communications system 120, asneeded.

In one exemplary type of system, the navigation application softwareprograms 110 load from the non-volatile memory storage device 108 into arandom access memory (RAM) 122 associated with the processor 104. Theprocessor 104 also receives input from the user interface 114. Thenavigation system 100 uses the geographic database 116 stored on thestorage medium 118, possibly in conjunction with the outputs from thepositioning system 112 and the communications system 120, to providevarious navigation features and functions. The navigation applicationsoftware programs 110 may include separate applications (or subprograms)that provide the various navigation-related features and functions. Thenavigation functions and features may include route calculation 124(wherein a route from an origin to a destination is determined), routeguidance 126 (wherein detailed directions are provided for reaching adesired destination), map display 128, and positioning 130 (e.g., mapmatching).

Other functions and programming 132 may be included in the navigationsystem 100. The navigation application software programs 110 may bewritten in a suitable computer programming language such as C, althoughother programming languages, such as C++ or Java, are also suitable. Allof the components described above may be conventional (or other thanconventional) and the manufacture and use of these components are knownto those of skill in the art.

II. Geographic Database

In order to provide navigation-related features and functions to the enduser, the navigation system 100 uses the geographic database 116. Thegeographic database 116 includes information about one or moregeographic regions. FIG. 2 illustrates a map 200 of a geographic region202. The geographic region 202 may correspond to a metropolitan or ruralarea, a state, a country, or combinations thereof, or any other area.Located in the geographic region 202 are physical geographic features,such as roads, points of interest (including businesses, municipalfacilities, etc.), lakes, rivers, railroads, municipalities, etc.

FIG. 2 also includes an enlarged map 204 of a portion 206 of thegeographic region 202. The enlarged map 204 illustrates part of a roadnetwork 208 in the geographic region 202. The road network 208 includes,among other things, roads and intersections located in the geographicregion 202. As shown in the portion 206, each road in the geographicregion 202 is composed of one or more road segments 210. A road segment210 represents a portion of the road. Each road segment 210 is shown tohave associated with it two nodes 212; one node represents the point atone end of the road segment and the other node represents the point atthe other end of the road segment. The node 212 at either end of a roadsegment 210 may correspond to a location at which the road meets anotherroad, i.e., an intersection, or where the road dead-ends.

Referring to FIG. 3, the geographic database 116 contains data 302 thatrepresents some of the physical geographic features in the geographicregion 202 depicted in FIG. 2. The data 302 contained in the geographicdatabase 116 includes data that represent the road network 208. In theembodiment of FIG. 3, the geographic database 116 that represents thegeographic region 202 contains at least one road segment database record304 (also referred to as “entity” or “entry”) for each road segment 210in the geographic region 202. The geographic database 116 thatrepresents the geographic region 202 also includes a node databaserecord 306 (or “entity” or “entry”) for each node 212 in the geographicregion 202. The terms “nodes” and “segments” represent only oneterminology for describing these physical geographic features, and otherterminology for describing these features is intended to be encompassedwithin the scope of these concepts.

The geographic database 116 may also include other kinds of data 312.The other kinds of data 312 may represent other kinds of geographicfeatures or anything else. The other kinds of data may include point ofinterest data. For example, the point of interest data may include pointof interest records comprising a type (e.g., the type of point ofinterest, such as restaurant, hotel, city hall, police station,historical marker, ATM, golf course, etc.), location of the point ofinterest, a phone number, hours of operation, etc. The geographicdatabase 116 also includes indexes 314. The indexes 314 may includevarious types of indexes that relate the different types of data to eachother or that relate to other aspects of the data contained in thegeographic database 116. For example, the indexes 314 may relate thenodes in the node data records 306 with the end points of a road segmentin the road segment data records 304. As another example, the indexes314 may relate point of interest data in the other data records 312 witha road segment in the segment data records 304.

FIG. 4 shows some of the components of a road segment data record 304contained in the geographic database 116. The road segment data record304 includes a segment ID 304(1) by which the data record can beidentified in the geographic database 116. Each road segment data record304 has associated with it information (such as “attributes”, “fields”,etc.) that describes features of the represented road segment. The roadsegment data record 304 may include data 304(2) that indicate therestrictions, if any, on the direction of vehicular travel permitted onthe represented road segment. The road segment data record 304 includesdata 304(3) that indicate a speed limit or speed category (i.e., themaximum permitted vehicular speed of travel) on the represented roadsegment. The road segment data record 304 may also include data 304(4)indicating whether the represented road segment is part of a controlledaccess road (such as an expressway), a ramp to a controlled access road,a bridge, a tunnel, a toll road, a ferry, and so on.

The road segment data record 304 also includes data 304(6) providing thegeographic coordinates (e.g., the latitude and longitude) of the endpoints of the represented road segment. In one embodiment, the data304(6) are references to the node data records 306 that represent thenodes corresponding to the end points of the represented road segment.

The road segment data record 304 may also include or be associated withother data 304(7) that refer to various other attributes of therepresented road segment. The various attributes associated with a roadsegment may be included in a single road segment record, or may beincluded in more than one type of record which cross-references to eachother. For example, the road segment data record 304 may include dataidentifying what turn restrictions exist at each of the nodes whichcorrespond to intersections at the ends of the road portion representedby the road segment, the name or names by which the represented roadsegment is known, the street address ranges along the represented roadsegment, and so on.

FIG. 4 also shows some of the components of a node data record 306contained in the geographic database 116. Each of the node data records306 may have associated information (such as “attributes”, “fields”,etc.) that allows identification of the road segment(s) that connect toit and/or it's geographic position (e.g., its latitude and longitudecoordinates). For the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the node data records306(1) and 306(2) include the latitude and longitude coordinates306(1)(1) and 306(2)(1) for their node. The node data records 306(1) and306(2) may also include other data 306(1)(3) and 306(2)(3) that refer tovarious other attributes of the nodes.

III. Collecting Pedestrian Data

Referring to FIG. 2, the enlarged portion 206 of the illustratedgeographic region 202 includes a portion of the road network 208 and aportion of a park 214. In one embodiment, the navigation system 100provides navigation-related features and functions to a user operating amotor vehicle, such as a truck, car or motorcycle. For this embodiment,the navigation system 100 utilizes data representing the road network208 in the geographic database 116 to provide navigation-relatedfeatures and functions, such as route calculation and route guidance.For example, the route calculation application provides a continuousnavigable route from the origin to the destination as an order listidentifying a plurality of road segment data entities. The routeguidance application provides maneuvering instructions along the roadnetwork to follow the calculated route.

In another embodiment, the navigation system 100 providesnavigation-related features and functions to a user that is notoperating a motor vehicle, such as a pedestrian. For this example, thepedestrian is not limited to travel only on the road network 208.Rather, the pedestrian may walk through public plazas and parks havingno associated road network. Additionally, the pedestrian does not havedirection restrictions as a vehicle; the pedestrian can walk down aone-way street in both directions. Moreover, the pedestrian has agreater degree of freedom of motion and may become more frequentlyconfused as to their orientation.

FIG. 5 illustrates a portion of a park 214 in the geographic region 202of FIG. 2. Suppose the pedestrian requests a route from the navigationsystem 100 from his or her current position 502 to a cafe 504. If thenavigation system 100 calculated the route using only the road network208, the route to the cafe 504 would comprise consecutive road segments506, 508, 510 and 512 with left turn maneuvers at nodes 514 and 516.However, since the pedestrian can walk through the park, a more directand shorter route is possible. To allow the navigation system 100 toprovide improved pedestrian routes, a geographic database developercollects information relating to the geographic features of thegeographic region useful for providing pedestrians and other users withnavigation-related features and functions. In one embodiment, ageographic researcher travels the geographic region to collectinformation relating to geographic features useful for providingpedestrians with navigation-related features and functions (hereinafter“pedestrian data”). In another embodiment, the geographic researcheruses aerial images to collect pedestrian data.

A. Collecting Pedestrian Data for Unorganized Geographic Areas

An unorganized geographic area is a geographic area that lacksunderlying organization into paths or roads. That is, the unorganizedgeographic area does not contain path or road geometry marked by paving,contrasting ground cover, such as a dirt trail through a grassy meadow,or paint trails over concrete. For example, the park illustrated in FIG.5, includes established paths 518 and 520, paved or unpaved; however,the park also includes an unorganized portion 522 over which thepedestrian may walk without any paths, such as over grassy areas.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart 600 for collecting pedestrian data forunorganized geographic areas, according to an exemplary embodiment. Thesteps of FIG. 6 will be illustrated using the unorganized geographicarea 522 of the park 214 of FIG. 5. At step 600, the geographicresearcher identifies a portion of the unorganized geographic areaappropriate for a virtual pedestrian network. The virtual pedestriannetwork is similar to the road network 208. Whereas the road network 208comprises of road segments and nodes, the virtual pedestrian networkcomprises virtual pedestrian segments and orientation nodes. Whereas avehicle may be routed and guided from an origin to a destination overthe road network 208, a pedestrian or other user may be routed andguided from an origin to a destination over, in part or entirely, thevirtual pedestrian network which traverses unorganized geographic arealacking the road network or established paths. In one embodiment, thegeographic researcher identifies a portion of the unorganized geographicarea appropriate for a virtual pedestrian network by determining thatpedestrians may readily traverse the unorganized geographic area, thatpedestrians may reduce their travel distance and/or travel time bytraversing the unorganized geographic area and/or that pedestrians maydesire to be routed and guided to a feature or point of interest withinthe unorganized geographic area.

Once the geographic researcher has identified a portion of theunorganized geographic area appropriate for the virtual pedestriannetwork, the geographic researcher identifies a series of interconnectedvirtual pedestrian segments and associated orientation nodes. Eachvirtual pedestrian segment is associated with two orientation nodes; oneorientation node represents one end of the virtual pedestrian segmentand the other orientation node represents the other end of the virtualpedestrian segment. The orientation node at either end of the virtualpedestrian segment may correspond to a location at which the virtualpedestrian segment meets another virtual pedestrian segment, where thevirtual pedestrian segment meets a road segment, where the virtualpedestrian segment meets a pedestrian segment associated with a path ofan organized geographic area, at a point of interest or where thevirtual pedestrian segment dead-ends.

Referring to FIG. 6, at step 602, the geographic researcher identifiesan orientation node. The location of the orientation node is selected ata location that may be readily described to provide orientation to thepedestrian. In one embodiment, the orientation node is selected at alocation that may be visually identified by the pedestrian. For theexemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, an orientation node 524 islocated near a statue 526. The statue 526 is a prominent feature readilyvisually observed by the pedestrian. Additionally, a clear and concisedescription of the statue 526, such as statue of a man on a horse,provides orientation to the pedestrian.

At step 604, the researcher collects attribute information of theorientation node. Attribute information includes descriptive wordscharacterizing the location of the orientation node and any surroundingfeatures, such as statue of a man on a horse, for orientation node 524.The attribute information also may include a latitude and longitudeposition of the orientation node. A positioning system may be used todetermine the latitude and longitude position of the orientation node.The position system may utilize GPS-type technology, a deadreckoning-type system, or combinations of these or other systems, all ofwhich are known in the art. The positioning system may include suitablesensing devices to obtain a GPS signal and to measure the travelingdistance speed, direction, and so on, of the system. Alternatively,aerial images of the area may be used to determine the position of theorientation node.

Other attribute information of the orientation node that may becollected include: wheel chair accessible, children friendly, petfriendly, well-lighted area, poorly lighted area, busy area, non-busyarea, noisy/peaceful, smelly/polluted, sheltered from rain, notsheltered from rain, no bikes allowed, tree lined, paved area, unpavedarea, grassy area, gravel area, dirt area, muddy when wet area, and anyother attribute information. The geographic researcher may record theattribute information using any data collection method, such ashandwriting, voice recording, and data entry into a user device. In oneembodiment, the researcher may capture an image of the orientation nodeincluding the surrounding area with a digital camera. Furthermore, theresearcher may collect guidance information as discussed below inconjunction with FIG. 8 for the orientation node.

In one embodiment, the researcher collects connection informationindicating whether the orientation node is in close proximity to theroad network 208. If the orientation node is close to the road network208, the researcher identifies the road node close to the orientationnode. In another embodiment, the researcher may identify a road segmentfor connection information. The researcher may record the connectioninformation in the form of a street address, name or ID of a roadsegment or road node, a distance from a node along an identified roadsegment, intersection of two identified road segments, a point ofinterest or in any other appropriate form. For the example depicted inFIG. 5, the researcher records connection information identifying thatorientation node 524 connects with road segment 506. If the orientationnode is not close to the road network, the researcher records such anindication.

At step 606, the geographic researcher identifies another orientationnode. The second orientation node 528 is selected at another locationthat may be readily described to provide orientation to the pedestrian.Additionally, the second orientation node is selected at a location inwhich the pedestrian may be directed from the first orientation nodelocation to the second orientation node location. In one embodiment, thesecond orientation node is selected at a distance from the firstorientation node such that the pedestrian may visually identify thelocation of the second orientation node from the location of the firstorientation node. In another embodiment, the second orientation nodelocation may be obscured from view or beyond visual identification fromthe first orientation node location. For example, the pedestrian may bedirected to walk in a certain direction, such as toward a lake, andafter walking some distance, the second orientation node comes intoview.

For the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, a second orientationnode 528 is located near a barbeque pit 530. The barbeque pit 530 is aprominent feature readily visually observed by the pedestrian.Additionally, a clear and concise description of the barbeque pit 530,such as a stone barbeque pit with pizza oven feature, providesorientation to the pedestrian. At step 608, the researcher collectsattribute information of the orientation node in the similar manner asdiscussed above for the first orientation node 524.

At step 610, the researcher identifies a virtual pedestrian segment 532.The virtual pedestrian segment 532 is an artificially created segmentover the unorganized portion 522 on which the pedestrian may walk fromthe first orientation node 524 to the second orientation node 528. Whenidentifying the virtual pedestrian segments, the geographic researcherinsures that the pedestrian may walk unobstructed from the first to thesecond orientation node. For example, the geographic researcher wouldnot identify a virtual pedestrian segment that goes over a cliff.

At step 612, the researcher collects attribute information of thevirtual pedestrian segment. Attribute information includes descriptivewords characterizing the virtual pedestrian segment and any surroundingfeatures. For example, virtual pedestrian segment 532 may be describedas “keeping the pond on your right/left.” The attribute information mayalso include a distance or length of the virtual pedestrian segment,such as 50 meters, or an estimated travel time to walk the virtualpedestrian segment. Other attribute information of the virtualpedestrian segment that may be collected include: wheel chairaccessible, children friendly, pet friendly, well-lighted area, poorlylighted area, busy area, non-busy area, noisy, peaceful,smelly/polluted, sheltered from rain, not sheltered from rain, no bikesallowed, tree lined, paved area, unpaved area, grassy area, gravel area,dirt area, muddy when wet area, hilly, steps, rough terrain, grade, andany other attribute information. Additionally, the researcher maycollect information relating to points of interest proximate the virtualpedestrian segment including location of bike racks, water fountains,toilets, historic sites, recreational facilities, entrances to points ofinterest or any other information. Additionally, the researcher maycollect position data along the virtual pedestrian segment to be used asshape points for cartographically representing the virtual pedestriansegment. In one embodiment, the researcher may capture an image of thevirtual pedestrian segment including the surrounding area with a digitalcamera. Furthermore, the researcher may collect guidance information asdiscussed below in conjunction with FIG. 8 for the virtual pedestriansegment.

Referring to FIG. 5, the researcher continues to identify orientationnodes and virtual pedestrian segments for the unorganized area 522. Forexample, another orientation node 534 is identified near tennis courts536, and another virtual pedestrian segment 538 connects orientationnode 528 with orientation node 534. Yet another orientation node 540 isidentified near the cafe 504 and a parking lot 542, and another virtualpedestrian segment 544 connects orientation node 534 with orientationnode 540.

In alternative embodiments, the steps for collecting pedestrian data forunorganized geographic areas are performed in a different order thanpresented in FIG. 6. In another embodiment, the researcher identifies afirst orientation node, identifies a virtual pedestrian segment from thefirst orientation node and then identifies a second orientation nodecompleting the virtual pedestrian segment. In yet another embodiment,the researcher identifies virtual pedestrian segments and thenidentifies orientation nodes along the virtual pedestrian segments. Forexample, the researcher collects pedestrian data for a scenic walk alonga lakefront by first identifying virtual pedestrian segments along thelakefront and then identifying orientation nodes between the virtualpedestrian segments.

FIG. 7A illustrates another unorganized geographic area 700. Theunorganized area 700 is a plaza in a city center. A portion of the roadnetwork 702 comprising several road segments 704 and nodes 706 surroundsthe plaza 700. The plaza may be paved but lacks underlying organizationinto paths, such as paths provided by paint markings or paths marked bycontrasting paving bricks. Despite the lack of organization into paths,the pedestrian is free to walk through the plaza. In one embodiment, theresearcher collects pedestrian data for the plaza 700 in a similarmanner as described above in conjunction with FIG. 6. For the exemplaryembodiment of FIG. 7A, the researcher identifies the unorganizedgeographic area 700 of the plaza as appropriate for a virtual pedestriannetwork because pedestrians may readily traverse the plaza 700 andpedestrians may reduce their travel distance and/or travel time bytraversing the plaza 700.

To collect the pedestrian data, the researcher identifies orientationnodes 708 in close proximity to the road network nodes 706 associatedwith intersecting road segments 702 that bound the plaza 700. FIG. 7Billustrates orientation nodes 708 in close proximity to the road nodes706 of the intersections bounding the plaza 700. The researcher alsocollects attribute information for each of the orientation nodes 708.The attribute information includes words characterizing the location ofthe orientation node and any surrounding features, such as the streetnames of the corresponding intersection, a street address, descriptionof prominent building, prominent signage or point of interest adjacentthe orientation node. Additionally, the collected attribute informationmay include a latitude and longitude position. Other information of theorientation node may be collected including wheel chair accessible,children friendly, pet friendly, well-lighted area, poorly lighted area,busy area, non-busy area, noisy, peaceful, smelly/polluted, shelteredfrom rain, not sheltered from rain, no bikes allowed, tree lined, pavedarea, unpaved area, grassy area, gravel area, dirt area, muddy when wetarea, shaded, shopping zone, curb cutouts, crosswalks and any otherattribute information. In one embodiment, the researcher may capture animage of the orientation nodes including their respective surroundingareas with a digital camera.

For the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 7A and 7B, the researcher alsoidentifies orientation nodes within the center of plaza 700. Theresearcher identifies orientation nodes 710 at the center portions ofthe plaza 700. The researcher also collects attribute information foreach of the orientation nodes 710. The attribute information includeswords characterizing the location of the orientation node and anysurrounding features, such as band pavilion, large fountain, statue ofbald man, prominent buildings or any other feature. Additionally, thecollected attribute information may include a latitude and longitudeposition and other information as discussed above for orientation nodes708.

For the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 7A and 7B, the researcher alsoidentifies virtual pedestrian segments 712 between the identifiedorientation nodes 708 and 710 within the plaza 700. The researcheridentifies the virtual pedestrian segments connecting two of theorientation nodes 708 and 710. A virtual pedestrian segment may beestablished between each of the orientation nodes; however, theresearcher may decide to establish virtual pedestrian segments betweenonly certain orientation nodes because the path between some of theorientation nodes may be blocked, such as by seasonal cafe seating. Theresearcher also collects attribute information for each of the virtualpedestrian segments 712. The attribute information includes descriptivewords characterizing the virtual pedestrian segment and any surroundingfeatures. Additionally, the collected attribute information may includean approximate length of the virtual pedestrian segment, or any otherattribute information as discussed above. In one embodiment, theresearcher may capture an image of the virtual pedestrian segmentsincluding their surrounding areas with a digital camera. Referring toFIG. 7B, after the researcher has identified orientation nodes 708 and710 and the virtual pedestrian segments 712, the virtual pedestriannetwork provides navigatable geometry over which the pedestrian may berouted and guided.

B. Collecting Pedestrian Data for Organized Geographic Areas

An organized geographic area is a geographic area that has underlyingorganization into paths and roads. For example, the park illustrated inFIG. 5, includes established paths 518 and 520, paved or unpaved. Thegeographic researcher collects pedestrian data to provide a pedestriannetwork using the underlying organization. The pedestrian network issimilar to the road network 208. Whereas the road network 208 comprisesroad segments and nodes, the pedestrian network comprises pedestriansegments following existing paths and orientation nodes on or nearexisting paths. Whereas a vehicle may be routed and guided from anorigin to a destination over the road network 208, a pedestrian may berouted and guided from an origin to a destination over, in part orentirely, the pedestrian network which traverses the organizedgeographic area using existing or established paths. To develop thepedestrian network, the geographic researcher identifies a series ofinterconnected pedestrian segments and associated orientation nodes.Each pedestrian segment is associated with two orientation nodes; oneorientation node represents one end of the pedestrian segment and theother orientation node represents the other end of the pedestriansegment. The orientation node at either end of the pedestrian segmentmay correspond to a location at which the pedestrian segment meetsanother pedestrian segment, where the pedestrian segment meets a roadsegment, where the pedestrian segment meets a virtual pedestriansegment, at a point of interest or where the pedestrian segmentdead-ends.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for collecting pedestrian data for organizedgeographic areas, according to an exemplary embodiment. The steps ofFIG. 8 will be illustrated using the established paths 518 and 520 ofthe park 214 of FIG. 5. In one embodiment, the geographic researcherwalks the paths 518 and 520 to collect the pedestrian data. At step 800,the geographic researcher identifies an orientation node for theexisting path 518. The location of an orientation node is selected at alocation that may be readily described to provide orientation to thepedestrian. In one embodiment, orientation nodes are provided at theintersection of two or more established paths. In one embodiment, theorientation node is selected at a location that may be visuallyidentified by the pedestrian. For the exemplary embodiment illustratedin FIG. 5, an orientation node 548 is located near the entrance gate 550of the park. The entrance gate 550 is a prominent feature readilyvisually observed by the pedestrian. Additionally, a clear and concisedescription of the entrance gate 550, such as entrance gate to park fromX Street, provides orientation to the pedestrian.

At step 802, the researcher collects attribute information of theorientation node. The attribute information also may include a latitudeand longitude position of the orientation node. A positioning system maybe used to determine the latitude and longitude position of theorientation node. The position system may utilize GPS-type technology, adead reckoning-type system, or combinations of these or other systems,all of which are known in the art. The positioning system may includesuitable sensing devices to obtain a GPS signal and to measure thetraveling distance speed, direction, and so on, of the system.Alternatively, aerial images of the area may be used to determine theposition of the orientation node. Other attribute information of theorientation node that may be collected include: wheel chair accessible,children friendly, pet friendly, well-lighted area, poorly lighted area,busy area, non-busy area, noisy, peaceful, smelly/polluted, shelteredfrom rain, not sheltered from rain, no bikes allowed, tree lined, pavedarea, unpaved area, grassy area, gravel area, dirt area, muddy when wetarea, and any other attribute information. The geographic researcher mayrecord the attribute information using any data collection method, suchas handwriting, voice recording, and data entry into a user device.

At step 804, the researcher collects guidance information for theorientation node. Guidance information includes descriptive wordscharacterizing the location of the orientation node and any surroundingfeatures, such as entrance gate to park from X Street for orientationnode 548. These descriptive words will be used as the name for theorientation node. In one embodiment, the researcher collects the name ofthe orientation node as a name of a feature visible from the location oforientation node. For the example provided in FIG. 5, the name for theorientation node may be “entrance gate to park from X Street.” In oneembodiment, the researcher identifies the time of day or seasonalrestrictions on the descriptive words or orientation node name. Forexample, during nighttime hours or during the frozen winter, theentrance gate may not be readily visible to the pedestrian. Thegeographic researcher may record time and season appropriatealternatives.

Additional guidance information collected by the researcher is acalculate angle data. That is, the researcher indicates whethermaneuvers may be performed at the orientation node, such as at theintersection of two or more pedestrian segments. If maneuvers may beperformed at the orientation node, the route guidance feature will haveto calculate a maneuver angle. For orientation node 548 in FIG. 5, theresearcher indicates a yes for the calculate angle data. Furthermore,the researcher collects at explication data. That is, an indication ofwhether the descriptive words characterizing the location of theorientation node and any surrounding features are helpful to indicatewhere a maneuver is to be performed or helpful to indicate where thepedestrian is located at when guiding the pedestrian on a route thatpasses through the orientation node. For the example in FIG. 5, theresearcher records a yes indication for the at explication dataindicating that “at the entrance gate” provides useful guidance forpedestrians at the orientation node 548. In one embodiment, theresearcher may capture an image of the orientation node 548 and itssurroundings with a digital camera.

In one embodiment, the researcher also collects connection informationindicating whether the orientation node is in close proximity to theroad network 208. If the orientation node is close to the road network208, the researcher identifies the road node close to the orientationnode. In another embodiment, the researcher may identify a road segmentfor connection information. The researcher may record the connectioninformation in the form of a street address, name or ID of a roadsegment or road node, a distance from a node along an identified roadsegment, intersection of two identified road segments, a point ofinterest or in any other appropriate form. If the orientation node isnot close to the road network, the researcher records such anindication.

At step 806, the researcher identifies a pedestrian segment. Referringto FIG. 5, the pedestrian segment 552 is a portion of the establishedpath 518. At step 808, the researcher collects attribute information ofthe pedestrian segment 552. The attribute information also may include alatitude and longitude positions of shape points along the pedestriansegment 552. The attribute information may also include a distance orlength of the pedestrian segment, such as 50 meters or an estimatedtravel time to walk the pedestrian segment. Other attribute informationof the pedestrian segment that may be collected include: wheel chairaccessible, children friendly, pet friendly, well-lighted area, poorlylighted area, busy area, non-busy area, noisy, peaceful,smelly/polluted, sheltered from rain, not sheltered from rain, no bikesallowed, tree lined, paved area, unpaved area, grassy area, gravel area,dirt area, muddy when wet area, hilly, steps, rough terrain, grade, andany other attribute information. Additionally, the researcher maycollect information relating to points of interest proximate thepedestrian segment including location of bike racks, water fountains,toilets, historic sites, recreational facilities, entrances to points ofinterest or any other information. Additionally, the researcher maycollect position data along the pedestrian segment to be used as shapepoints for cartographically representing the pedestrian segment. In oneembodiment, the researcher may capture an image of the pedestriansegment 552 and its surroundings with a digital camera.

At step 810, the researcher collects guidance information for thepedestrian segment 552. The guidance information includes descriptivewords characterizing the pedestrian segment and any surroundingfeatures. These descriptive words will be used as the name of thepedestrian segment. In one embodiment, the researcher collects the nameof the pedestrian segment as a name of a feature visible from the path.In one embodiment, the visible feature is a readily identifiablegeographic feature other than the path itself. In one embodiment, theresearcher uses a list of predetermined phrase words for the textdescription the pedestrian segment. Table I lists phrase words that theresearcher may use to collect descriptive words characterizing thepedestrian segment according to an exemplary embodiment. Additionalphrase words may be used than those listed in Table I.

TABLE I PHRASE ID PHRASE WORDS 1 ABOVE 2 THROUGH 3 BY 4 KEEPING <blank>ON YOUR RIGHT 5 BETWEEN 6 UP 7 DOWN 8 ACROSS 9 AFTER 10 ALONG 11 KEEPING<blank> ON YOUR LEFT 12 PASTReferring to FIG. 5, the researcher collects descriptive wordscharacterizing the pedestrian segment 552 and/or its surroundings as“keeping the <POND> on your left.” That is, the name of a visiblefeature from the pedestrian segment 552 is the “POND,” and the phrasewords “keeping the <blank> on your left” in conjunction with the visiblefeatures provide a text description of the pedestrian segment 552. Inanother embodiment, the researcher may collect a more detailed textdescription of the pedestrian segment without reference to one of thephrase words, such as “walk 20 meters and cross the bicycle path.” Inone embodiment, the researcher identifies the time of day or seasonalrestrictions on the descriptive words or segment name. For example,during nighttime hours or during the frozen winter, the pond may not bereadily visible to the pedestrian. The geographic researcher may recordtime and season appropriate alternatives.

The researcher may also record after me data as guidance information.That is, whether describing the pedestrian segment 552 prior todescribing the next pedestrian segment 558 is helpful for orientatingthe pedestrian on a route that passes from the pedestrian segment ontothe next pedestrian segment. For the example in FIG. 5, the researcherrecords a no indication for the after me data indicating that “keepingthe <POND> on your left” does not provide helpful orientation becausethe segment name of pedestrian segment 552 is the same as the nextpedestrian segment 558 whose segment name is also “keeping the <POND> onyour left.” An example of a positive indication for the after me datawould be “after the pedestrian bridge.”

Additionally, the researcher collects guidance information of do notexplicate node data. In one embodiment, one of the endpoints ororientation nodes associated with the pedestrian segment is designated areference node while the other endpoint or orientation node isdesignated a non-reference node. In one embodiment, the reference nodeis the orientation node whose position is the most south and west. Forthe do not explicate reference node data, the researcher indicateswhether the orientation node name of the reference orientation node isnot helpful when guiding the pedestrian on a route that passes throughthe pedestrian segment. For pedestrian segment 552 of FIG. 5, theresearcher records a no indicating that explicating the name oforientation node 548 “entrance gate” is useful. The researcher alsocollects guidance information of do not explicate non-reference nodedata. For the do not explicate non-reference node data, the researcherindicates whether the orientation node name of the non-referenceorientation node is not helpful when guiding the pedestrian on a routethat passes through the pedestrian segment. For pedestrian segment 552of FIG. 5, the researcher records a no indicating that explicating thename of orientation node 554 “drinking fountain” is useful.

In one embodiment, the researcher obtains data representative of thegeometry of the pedestrian segment. The geometry of the pedestriansegment may be obtained from aerial or satellite images; alternatively,the researcher may collect latitude and longitude positions at severallocations along the pedestrian segment using the positioning system. Inone embodiment, the geometry of the pedestrian segment is used tocalculate guidance information of angle in and angle out data. The anglein data indicates an initial general direction of the pedestrian segmentat the reference orientation node 548; angle out data indicates anending general direction of the pedestrian segment at the non-referenceorientation node 554. In another embodiment, the researcher may recordthe angle in and angle out information as he or she traverses thepedestrian segment. For the pedestrian segment 552, the researcherrecords the angle in as approximately due east and the angle out asapproximately due east.

The researcher also determines whether the above recorded guidanceinformation is direction sensitive. For example, the guidanceinformation for pedestrian segment 552 in FIG. 5 is direction sensitive.If traveling in one direction along the pedestrian segment 552, thepedestrian segment name should be “keeping the <POND> on your left,”traveling in the opposite direction along the pedestrian segment, thepedestrian segment name should be “keeping the <POND> on your right.” Inone embodiment, if the pedestrian segment is direction sensitive, theresearcher collects separate guidance data described above for apedestrian walking in the opposite direction. In one embodiment, theresearcher also captures an image of the pedestrian segment 552 and itssurroundings with a digital camera. Moreover, in another embodiment, theresearcher may identify the location of points of interest, such astoilets, bike racks, drinking fountains, recreation facilities,historical sites or any other point of interest, proximate thepedestrian segment.

Referring to FIG. 8, the researcher identifies another orientation nodealong the established path 518 at step 812. The location of theorientation node is selected at another location that may be readilydescribed to provide orientation to the pedestrian along the establishedpath 518. The second orientation node is selected at a distance from thefirst orientation node along the established path 518 such that apedestrian may be directed from the first orientation node location tothe second orientation node location. In one embodiment, the secondorientation node selected a distance along the path 518 from the firstorientation node such that the pedestrian may visually identify thelocation of the second orientation node from the location of the firstorientation node. In another embodiment, the second orientation nodelocation may be obscured from view or beyond visual identification fromthe first orientation node location. For example, the pedestrian may bedirected to walk along the established path 518 in a certain direction,such as toward a lake, and after walking some distance, the secondorientation node comes into view.

For the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, a second orientationnode 554 along the established path 518 is located near a drinkingfountain 556. The drinking fountain 530 is a feature just off of theestablished path 518 that is readily visually observed by thepedestrian. The second orientation 554 terminates the pedestrian segment552.

At step 814, the researcher collects attribute information of theorientation node. The attribute information also may include a latitudeand longitude position of the orientation node. The other attributeinformation for the second orientation node is the same as thatdescribed above for the first orientation node. At step 816, theresearcher collects guidance information for the second orientation node554. Guidance information for the second orientation node is similar asthat described above for the first orientation node 548. For theorientation node 554, the collected guidance information includesorientation node name of “the drinking fountain,” no for calculate angledata, and yes for at explication data.

Referring to FIG. 5, the researcher continues to identify and collectinformation for orientation nodes and pedestrian segments for theestablished paths 518 and 520 following the steps of FIG. 8. Thefollowing description will highlight a portion of the informationcollected for the exemplary embodiment using FIG. 5. The researcheridentifies pedestrian segment 558 and collects data attributes andguidance information for the pedestrian segment 558. Briefly, thecollected guidance information for pedestrian segment 558 includesdescriptive text characterizing the pedestrian segment 558 as “keepingthe <POND> on your left,” a no for after me data, a no for do notexplicate reference node data, a no for do not explicate non-referencenode data, approximately due east for angle in data, approximately duenorth for angle out data, and an indication that the above recordedguidance information is direction sensitive for pedestrian segment 558.

The researcher identifies orientation node 562 and collects dataattributes and guidance information for the orientation node 562. Forthe orientation node 562, the collected guidance information includesorientation node name of “the pedestrian bridge,” no for calculate angledata, and no for at explication data. The researcher identifiespedestrian segment 564 and collects data attributes and guidanceinformation for the pedestrian segment 564. Briefly, the collectedguidance information for pedestrian segment 564 includes descriptivetext characterizing the pedestrian segment 564 as the phrase “across”and “the bridge,” a yes for after me data, a no for do not explicatereference node data, a yes for do not non-reference node data,approximately due north for angle in data, approximately due north forangle out data, and an indication that the above recorded guidanceinformation is not direction sensitive for pedestrian segment 564.

The researcher identifies orientation node 566 and collects dataattributes and guidance information for the orientation node 566. Forthe orientation node 566, the collected guidance information includesorientation node name of “the pedestrian bridge,” no for calculate angledata, and no for at explication data. The researcher identifiespedestrian segment 568 and collects data attributes and guidanceinformation for the pedestrian segment 568. Briefly, the collectedguidance information for pedestrian segment 568 includes descriptivetext characterizing the pedestrian segment 568 as the phrase “up” and“the hill,” a no for after me data, a no for do not explicate referencenode data, a no for do not explicate non-reference node data,approximately due north for angle in data, approximately northeast forangle out data, and an indication that the above recorded guidanceinformation is direction sensitive for pedestrian segment 568.

The researcher identifies orientation node 570 and collects dataattributes and guidance information for the orientation node 570. Forthe orientation node 570, the collected guidance information includesorientation node name of “the toilets,” no for calculate angle data, andyes for at explication data. The researcher identifies pedestriansegment 574 and collects data attributes and guidance information forthe pedestrian segment 574. Briefly, the collected guidance informationfor pedestrian segment 574 includes descriptive text characterizing thepedestrian segment 558 as “keeping the <parking lot> on your left,” a nofor after me data, a no for do not explicate reference node data, a nofor do not explicate non-reference node data, approximately northeastfor angle in data, approximately due east for angles out data, and anindication that the above recorded guidance information is directionsensitive for pedestrian segment 574. For the orientation node 576, thecollected guidance information includes orientation node name of “theentrance gate for Y Street,” yes for calculate angle data, yes for atexplication data, and connection to road segment 512.

In alternative embodiments, the steps for collecting pedestrian data fororganized geographic areas may be performed in a different order thanpresented in FIG. 8. In one embodiment, the researcher travels theidentified pedestrian segments in both directions to collect differentguidance information for each direction of travel. To support multiplelanguages, the descriptive texts for the orientation nodes, pedestriansegments and other guidance information may be collected in multiplelanguages according to rules of the individual languages. Alternatively,the guidance texts and other guidance information may be translated toother languages. Additionally, although the collection of guidanceinformation has been described in conjunction with the collection ofpedestrian data for organized geographic areas, similar guidanceinformation may be collected for the virtual pedestrian network forunorganized geographic areas including descriptive texts for virtualpedestrian nodes and orientation nodes.

Additionally, although the above description for collecting pedestriandata for organized geographic areas has been illustrated usingestablished paths 518 and 520 of the park 214, the researcher may alsocollect pedestrian data for the existing road network and for insidebuildings as will be briefly described in the following paragraphs.

The geographic researcher may collect pedestrian data for the existingroad network in a similar manner as described above in conjunction withFIG. 8. In one embodiment, the geographic researcher walks the sidewalksalong road segments to identify orientation nodes and pedestriansegments and to collect data attributes and guidance information forthose orientation nodes and pedestrian segments. The existing sidewalksare like the existing paths 518 and 520 of the park 214. In oneembodiment, the researcher identifies orientation nodes at theintersection of at least two road segments corresponding to a roadnetwork node. The identified orientation node may be assigned the sameposition information as the corresponding road network node.Alternatively, the position information for the orientation nodes may bedetermined using a positioning system as discussed above. The researchermay also identify additional orientation nodes not associated with theroad network nodes. The researcher collects attribute information of theorientation node similar to that described above in conjunction withFIG. 8. The researcher also collects guidance information for theorientation node including descriptive texts characterizing the locationof the orientation node and identifying a visible feature from theorientation node, calculate angle data, and at explication data. In oneembodiment, the researcher also captures an image of the orientationnode 548 and its surroundings with a digital camera.

In one embodiment, the researcher identifies pedestrian segments alongthe existing sidewalks. The researcher collects attribute data andguidance information for the pedestrian segment similar to thatdescribed above in conjunction with FIG. 8. The position information forthe pedestrian segment may be identical to the position information forthe associated road segment. Alternatively, the position information forthe pedestrian segment may be determined using a positioning system asdiscussed above. The researcher also collects descriptive texts, usingphrases from Table I and identifying features visible from thepedestrian segment. The researcher may also record after me data, do notexplicate reference node data, do not explicate non-reference node data,angle in and angle out data, and an indication of whether the guidanceinformation is direction sensitive. In one embodiment, the researcheralso captures an image of the pedestrian segment and its surroundingswith a digital camera. Moreover, in another embodiment, the researchermay identify the location of points of interest proximate the pedestriansegment. The researcher may also collect attribute information of thepedestrian segment including: wheel chair accessible, children friendly,pet friendly, well-lighted area, poorly lighted area, busy area,non-busy area, noisy, peaceful, smelly/polluted, sheltered from rain,not sheltered from rain, no bikes allowed, tree lined, paved area,unpaved area, gravel area, dirt area, hilly, steps, rough terrain,grade, alley, curb cutouts, pedestrian function class similar to roadfunction class, shopping zone, neighborhood zone, traffic lightlocations, stop sign locations, crosswalks, entrance locations forpoints of interest, whether associated road segment is crossable at anylocation, and any other attribute information.

Furthermore, the geographic researcher may collect pedestrian data forexisting paths inside buildings in a similar manner as described abovein conjunction with FIG. 8. In one embodiment, the geographic researcherwalks the paths, such as hallways, corridors, walkways, stairs,elevators, escalators, in an office building to identify orientationnodes and pedestrian segments and to collect data attributes andguidance information for those orientation nodes and pedestriansegments. In another embodiment, the geographic researcher uses floorplans and building blueprints to collect pedestrian data.

In one embodiment, the researcher identifies orientation nodes at theintersection of at least two paths, such as hallways, corridors,walkways, stairs, elevators, escalators or any other path. Theresearcher may also identify additional orientation nodes at locationsthat may be readily visually identified based on text descriptions, suchas “the water fountain.” Briefly, the researcher collects attributeinformation of the orientation node similar to that described above inconjunction with FIG. 8. The researcher also collects guidanceinformation for the orientation node including descriptive textscharacterizing the location of the orientation node and identifyingfeatures visible from the orientation node, such as “the copy machine.”The researcher also collects the guidance information of the calculateangle data, and at explication data. In one embodiment, the researcheralso captures an image of the orientation node 548 and its surroundingswith a digital camera.

In one embodiment, the researcher identifies pedestrian segments alongthe existing paths between established orientation nodes inside theoffice building. Briefly, the researcher collects attribute informationof the pedestrian segment similar to that described above in conjunctionwith FIG. 8. The researcher also collects guidance information for thepedestrian segment including descriptive texts, using phrases from TableI and identifying features visible from the pedestrian segment, such as“keeping the <WATER COOLER> on your right.” The researcher may alsorecord after me data, do not explicate reference node data, do notexplicate non-reference node data, angle in and angle out data, and anindication of whether the guidance information is direction sensitive.In one embodiment, the researcher also captures an image of thepedestrian segment and its surroundings with a digital camera. Moreover,in another embodiment, the researcher may identify the location ofoffices, cubicles, conference rooms, computer equipment, emergencyescape routes, number of stairs or any other office item, proximate thepedestrian segment. In other embodiments, the researcher may collectpedestrian data for other buildings, including warehouses, retailstores, museums, libraries, schools, restaurants, or any otherstructure.

In another embodiment, the geographic researcher may collect pedestriandata for inside buildings where paths do not exist in a similar manneras described above in conjunction with the collecting data for thevirtual pedestrian network of FIG. 6. In one embodiment, the geographicresearcher walks the building to identify orientation nodes and virtualpedestrian segments and to collect data attributes and guidanceinformation for those orientation nodes and virtual pedestrian segments.

In alternative embodiments, the geographic researcher may collect datasimilar to the pedestrian data described above in conjunction with FIG.8 for the road network. That is, the researcher may collect similarguidance information for road segment and road network nodes.

C. Collecting Textual Pedestrian Guidance Data

In another embodiment, the researcher collects data to provide a textualguidance route from an identified origin point to an identifieddestination point. That is, the textual guidance route is a series ofmessages describing paths and maneuvers to travel from the origin to thedestination. In some circumstances, it may be optimal to providepedestrians with pre-composed textual guidance routes for travel withina certain geographic area, such as a subway station or a large building.For example, a pedestrian exiting a subway car faces a number ofsomewhat confusing choices for directions to travel and/or exits toconnect with the road network and/or pedestrian network.

FIG. 9 a is a flow chart for a collecting textual guidance route,according to an exemplary embodiment. The steps of FIG. 9 a will beillustrated with an illustration of a train station 910 in FIG. 9 b. Atstep 900, the researcher identifies an origin and a destination. For theexemplary embodiment, the origin 912 is a train platform wherepassengers exit a train, and the destination is a southern exit 914 thatconnects to the road network 916. At step 902, the researcher determinesa route between the identified origin and destination. In oneembodiment, the researcher travels several different routes between theorigin and destination and determines which of the available routes ismost desirable. When determining which route is most favorable, theresearcher may consider several factors including, ease of travel, easeof description, distance traveled, time to traverse route, congestionlevels or any other information. At step 904, the researcher recordsinformation for composing a textual guidance route. In one embodiment,the researcher records information in a manner similar to providingverbal instructions for traveling the route from the origin to thedestination to another person. The researcher records informationexplaining how to traverse the route; the information may includeorientation information, such as references to surrounding structures,features, points of interest and/or signage, and maneuver information,such as travel up the elevator or stairs, turn left or right, headstraight for twenty meters.

In one embodiment, the researcher collects time of day relatedinformation for the textual guidance route. Using the time of dayinformation, the route determined in step 902 may be modified based ontime of the day. For example, the train station may have reversibleescalators. In the morning, the escalators may favor train passengersleaving the train station, while in the evening the escalators may favortrain passengers arriving at the train station.

The following is an example of the textual guidance route informationcollected by the researcher to travel from the origin of the trainplatform 912 to the destination of a Y Street exit 914 for the trainstation 910:

-   -   “After exiting the train, turn left. After entering the station,        turn right and walk down the stairs. After reaching the bottom        of the stairs, veer to the left and head towards the escalators.        Take one of the three escalators to the top. After exiting the        escalator, walk past the store on your right to another set of        escalators. Take one of the two escalators to the top and go        through the doors onto Y Street.”

At step 906, the researcher collects attribute information for thetextual guidance route. Attribute information may include: wheel chairaccessible, children friendly, pet friendly, well-lighted area, poorlylighted area, busy area, non-busy area, noisy, peaceful,smelly/polluted, sheltered from rain, not sheltered from rain, no bikesallowed, stair count, shopping zone, and any other attributeinformation. In one embodiment, the researcher may identify severaltextual guidance routes for the same origin to destination. Each routemay have specific attributes, such as wheel chair accessible orsheltered from the weather.

At step 908, the researcher identifies any road segments, road nodes,pedestrian segments, virtual pedestrian segments and/or orientationnodes that correspond with the textual guidance route. In the exemplaryembodiment, the textual guidance route traverses several pedestriansegments and orientation nodes 918, 920, 922, 924 and 926.

In one embodiment, the textual guidance route may be used to providetransitions between the road network and a public transportationnetwork. In an alternative embodiment, textual guidance routes may becreated to guide users for travel over the public transportationnetwork. For example, the researcher may determine a route between anorigin and a destination that includes public transportation. An exampleof the textual guidance route including public transportation recordedby the researcher is, in part, “Take bus 7 at platform 2. Remain on thebus passing Q Street, L Street and K Street stops. Exit the bus at YStreet stop.” Additionally, the researcher identifies the road segments,road nodes and other geographic features traversed by the publictransportation.

IV. Geographic Database With Pedestrian Data

The pedestrian data collected as described above is included in thegeographic database 116 that represents some of the physical geographicfeatures in the geographic region 202. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, thegeographic database 116 that represents the geographic region 202contains at least one pedestrian segment database record 308 for eachpedestrian segment identified in the geographic region 202. Thegeographic database 116 also includes a pedestrian orientation nodedatabase record 310 for each orientation node identified in thegeographic region 202.

FIG. 10 shows some of the components of a pedestrian segment data record308 contained in the geographic database 116. The pedestrian segmentdata record 308 includes a segment ID 308(1) by which the data recordcan be identified in the geographic database 116. Each pedestriansegment data record 308 has associated with it information (such as“attributes”, “fields”, etc.) that describes features of the representedpedestrian segment. The pedestrian segment data record 308 may includedata 308(2) that indicate a type of pedestrian segment, such as virtualpedestrian path, paved pedestrian path, unpaved pedestrian path,sidewalk, alley, indoor path. The pedestrian segment data record 308includes data 308(3) that indicate a phrase ID and data indicating aname 308(4), such as a name of a visible feature from the segment, whichtogether provide a text description characterizing the pedestriansegment. The data indicating the phrase ID provides a predeterminedphrase that accompanies the name to describe the pedestrian segment, forexample: “keeping the < > on your left” is the phrase and “POND” is thename. The phrase ID may be similar to those illustrated above in TableI.

The pedestrian segment data record 304 may also include after me data308(5) indicating whether describing the represented pedestrian segmentprior to describing the next pedestrian segment is helpful fororientating the pedestrian on a route that passes from the pedestriansegment onto the next pedestrian segment. The pedestrian segment datarecord 308 may also include angle in and angle out data 308(7)indicating a general direction of the pedestrian segment from thereference orientation node (“angle in”) and a general direction of theend of the pedestrian segment toward the non-reference orientation node(“angle out”). The pedestrian segment data record 308 may furtherinclude applicable direction data 308(8) indicating whether direction oftravel on the pedestrian segment affects how the pedestrian segmentshould be described, and if so, the direction of travel associated withthe above data.

The pedestrian segment data record 308 also includes data 308(6)relating to the end points of the represented pedestrian segment. Theendpoint data includes data 308(6)(1) indicating whether the referenceand/or non-reference orientation node should be identified whendescribing a route that goes through the pedestrian segment. In oneembodiment, the endpoint data 308(6) also include references 308(6)(2)to the orientation node data records 310 that represent the orientationnodes corresponding to the end points of the represented pedestriansegment. The pedestrian segment data record 308 may also include or beassociated with other data 308(9) that refer to various other attributesof the represented pedestrian segment. In one embodiment, the other datareferences other database records that provide data representing thegeometry of the segment. Additionally, the various attributes associatedwith a pedestrian segment may be included in a single pedestrian segmentrecord, or may be included in more than one type of record whichcross-references to each other. Attributes of the pedestrian segment maybe any of the attributed described above in conjunction with thediscussion of collecting pedestrian data including: wheel chairaccessible, children friendly, pet friendly, well-lighted area, poorlylighted area, busy area, non-busy area, noisy, peaceful,smelly/polluted, sheltered from rain, not sheltered from rain, no bikesallowed, tree lined, paved area, unpaved area, grassy area, gravel area,dirt area, muddy when wet area, shopping zone, neighborhood zone, imagesand any other attribute information.

FIG. 10 also shows some of the components of an orientation node datarecord 310 contained in the geographic database 116. Each orientationnode data record 310(1) and 310(2) includes a node ID 310(1)(1) and310(2)(1) by which the data record can be identified in the geographicdatabase 116. Each of the orientation node data records 310 may haveassociated information (such as “attributes”, “fields”, etc.) thatallows identification of the pedestrian segment(s) that connect to itand/or its geographic position (e.g., its latitude and longitudecoordinates). For the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the orientation nodedata records 310(1) and 310(2) include the latitude and longitudecoordinates 310(1)(2) and 310(2)(2) for their node.

Each orientation node data record also includes data indicating anorientation node name 310(1) (3) and 310(2)(3), such as the visiblefeature name that characterize the location of the orientation node.Each orientation node data record may further include at explicationdata 310(1)(4) and 310(2)(4) indicating whether the orientation nodeshould be referred to when providing guidance for a pedestrian routethat passes through the node. Each orientation node data record mayfurther include calculate angle data 310(1)(5) and 310(2)(5) indicatingwhether an angle for a maneuver should be calculated at the orientationnode when providing guidance for a pedestrian route that passes throughthe node. Each orientation node data record also includes connectiondata 310(1)(6) and 310(2)(6) indicating connection, if any, to the roadnetwork. In one embodiment, the connection data 310(1)(6) and 310(2)(6)are references to the road segment data records 304 and/or road networknode data records 306 that represent the road segments and nodes thatconnect with the orientation node. The node data records 310(1) and310(2) may also include other data 310(1)(7) and 310(2)(7) that refer tovarious other attributes of the nodes. Attributes of the orientationnode include: wheel chair accessible, children friendly, pet friendly,well-lighted area, poorly lighted area, busy area, non-busy area, noisy,peaceful, smelly/polluted, sheltered from rain, not sheltered from rain,no bikes allowed, tree lined, paved area, unpaved area, grassy area,gravel area, dirt area, muddy when wet area, images and any otherattribute information.

FIG. 11 is a table 1100 of pedestrian segment data records 308,according to an exemplary embodiment. The table 1100 represents aportion of the data stored in the geographic database 116. The columnsof the table 1100 correspond with the data described above for thepedestrian segment data record 308 stored in the geographic database116. Data in a segment type column 1102 identifies a particular segmenttype code. For example, segment type code 996 may represent that thepedestrian segment is a paved pedestrian-only path. Data in a segment IDcolumn 1104 provides an identification code by which the data record canbe identified in the geographic database 116. The segment identificationcode is a unique identifier assigned to a particular pedestrian segmentrecord 308. For the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, theunique segment IDs 1104 are letters; however, other unique identifiers,such as numeric or alphanumeric codes may also be used to uniquelyidentify a pedestrian segment record 308.

Data in a reference node ID column 1106 and a non-reference node IDcolumn 1108 identify the end points or respective orientation nodesassociated with the pedestrian segment with one of the orientation nodesbeing identified as the reference node and the other being identified asthe non-reference node. The data in the reference node ID column 1106and the non-reference node ID column 1108 provide the orientation nodeID of the respective orientation node.

Data in a phrase ID column 1110 includes a phrase identification numberidentifying a particular phrase to use with the segment name to form thetext description of the pedestrian segment. Table I provides a list ofphrase IDs and associated phrases, according to an exemplary embodiment.Additional phrases and synonyms of the existing phrases may be added toTable I. Data in a name column 1112 provides a name for the pedestriansegment. Data in an after me column 1114 identifies whether or not tobegin a pedestrian guidance message for the next pedestrian segment withthe word “after” followed by the segment name of the previous pedestriansegment name as found in the segment name column 1112. For example, theprevious pedestrian segment may be pedestrian segment E as depicted inFIG. 11. The segment name of pedestrian segment E is “the bridge.”Because the phrase “after the bridge” may be useful to a pedestrian, theafter me data for pedestrian segment E may contain a yes, whichindicates that a pedestrian guidance message for a pedestrian segmentfollowing the bridge may start with “after the bridge.”

Data in a do not explicate reference node column 1116 and a do notexplicate non-reference node column 1118 may each be used to suppress areference to the endpoints or orientation nodes associated with thepedestrian segment when providing pedestrian guidance. This feature maybe useful when a reference to the orientation node would be meaninglessfrom a particular direction. Data in an angle in column 1120 mayidentify the angle of travel or direction of travel for an initialportion of the pedestrian segment from the reference orientation node orendpoint. Data in an angle out column 1122 may identify the angle oftravel or direction of travel for a final portion of the pedestriansegment toward the non-reference orientation node or endpoint. Data inan applicable in the from reference node direction column 1124 and anapplicable in the to reference node direction column 1126 may be usedwhen the pedestrian guidance message may be different depending on adirection of travel (i.e., towards or away from the associate referenceorientation node). The table 1100 may include additional data. Forexample, the table may include a column identifying connection data ofan associated road segment ID or road network node ID.

FIG. 12 is a table 1200 of orientation node records 310, according to anexemplary embodiment. The table 1200 represents a portion of the datastored in the geographic database 116. The columns of the table 1200correspond with the data described above for the orientation node datarecords 310 stored in the geographic database 116. Data in a node IDcolumn 1202 provides an identification code by which the orientationnode data record can be identified in the geographic database 116. Theorientation node identification code is a unique identifier assigned toa particular orientation node data record 310. For the exemplaryembodiment illustrated in FIG. 12, the unique orientation node ID arenumbers; however, other unique identifiers, such as numeric oralphanumeric codes may also be used to uniquely identify an orientationnode data record 310.

Data in columns 1204 and 1206 provide the coordinates, latitude andlongitude, of each orientation node 310. Data in a name column 1208includes a name of the orientation node. Data in a calculate anglecolumn 1210 identifies whether or not at the orientation node a maneuverangle should be determined for providing pedestrian guidance through thenode. If a calculate angle data contains a no (N), then no angle needsto be determined. If the calculate angle data contains a yes (Y), then amaneuver angle is determined when providing pedestrian guidance throughthe node.

Data in an at explication column 1212 identifies whether or not the namein the orientation node name data is to be used in a pedestrian guidancemessage at the orientation node. In some situations, describing thecurrent orientation node in a pedestrian guidance message may be usefulto a pedestrian. In that case, at explication data contains a yes sothat a reference to the current orientation node is added to thepedestrian guidance message. However, in other situations adding areference to the current orientation node may be awkward and not provideuseful guidance to a pedestrian. For example, when a pedestrian arrivesat a bridge, a message “At the bridge, walk across the bridge,” would beawkward. By filling the at explication data with a no, the pedestrianwould receive the message, “Walk across the bridge.” Data in aconnection column 1214 provides references to the road network datarecords, either road segment data records 304 or node data records 306,that connect with the orientation node.

FIG. 13 shows some of the components of a pedestrian textual guidanceroute data record 1300 contained in the geographic database 116. Thepedestrian textual guidance route guidance data record 1300 containsinformation collected to provide complete textual guidance route from aspecified origin to a specified destination. The pedestrian textualguidance route data record 1300 includes a text guidance route ID 1302by which the data record can be identified in the geographic database116. Each pedestrian textual guidance route data record 1300 contains acomplete route guidance text from the established origin to theestablished destination in the route guidance text data 1304. An exampleof the route guidance text data 1304 is the following between an originof a train platform to the destination of a Y Street exit for a trainstation:

-   -   “After exiting the train, turn left. After entering the station,        turn right and walk down the stairs. After reaching the bottom        of the stairs, veer to the left and head toward the escalators.        Take one of the three escalators to the top. After exiting the        escalator, walk past the store on your right to another set of        escalators. Take one of the two escalators to the top and go        through the doors onto Y Street.”

Each pedestrian textual guidance route data record 1300 has associatedwith it attribute data 1306 that describes features of the routeguidance text such as: wheel chair accessible, well-lighted area, busyarea, noisy, sheltered from rain, stair count, shopping zone, images andany other attribute information. In one embodiment, the pedestriantextual guidance route data record 1300 includes alternative routeguidance text for different times of the day.

The pedestrian text route guidance data record 1300 also includes data1308 relating to the segments and/or nodes traversed by the routeguidance text. The data 1308 provides references to the segments and/ornodes traversed by the route. The data 1308 may be used to provide a mapdisplay with a route highlight corresponding to the segments traversedby the route guidance text. The pedestrian text route guidance datarecord 1300 includes data 1310 relating to the end points of therepresented route guidance text. The endpoint data includes dataindicating the origin and destination of the represented route guidancetext. In one embodiment, the endpoint data 1310 include references tothe node data records 306 and 310 and point of interest data recordsthat represent the node(s) and/or point of interest corresponding to theorigin and destination of the represented route guidance text. Thepedestrian textual guidance route data record 1300 may also include orbe associated with other data 1312 that refer to various otherinformation of the represented route guidance text.

Referring to FIG. 4, the road segment data records 304 and road networknode data records 306 may also include pedestrian-related data 304(5)and 306(1)(2), 306(2)(2). In one embodiment, the pedestrian-related data304(5) associated with the road segment data record 304 are referencesto pedestrian segment data records 308 associated with the road segment,such as pedestrian segments representing sidewalks. Similarly, thepedestrian-related data 306(1)(2), 306(2)(2) associated with the roadnetwork node data record 306 are references to orientation node datarecords 310 associated with the road nodes. In another embodiment, thepedestrian-related data 304(5) and 306(1)(2) are references topedestrian text route guidance data records 1300 associated with theroad segments, road nodes or points of interest proximate the roadsegments or road nodes.

In another embodiment, the pedestrian-related data 304(5) associatedwith the road segment data record 304 are pedestrian-related attributesof the road segment, such as a description of sidewalks, location ofcrosswalks, crosscut curbs, tree-lined, location of traffic signals,location of stop signs, pedestrian enablement, crossability of roadsegment, noisy, polluted, bike-friendly, wheel chair accessible,shopping zone, neighborhood zone or any other attribute information. Thepedestrian-related data 306(1)(2) associated with the road node datarecords 306 are similar pedestrian-related attributes of the road node.

V. Route Calculation for a Pedestrian

As discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 1, the navigation system 100includes navigation application software programs 110 that provide thevarious navigation features and functions. In one embodiment, thenavigation functions and features may include route calculation 124 fora pedestrian. The route calculation function 124 receives a request tocalculate a route to a desired destination. The request may be in theform of an identification of a starting location and a desireddestination location. The identification of these locations may includethe geographic coordinates of these locations. The route calculationfunction may also be provided with other data or parameters, such aswalking preferences (e.g., avoid polluted areas). Given at least theidentification of the starting location and the destination location,the route calculation function 124 attempts to determine one or moresolution routes between the starting location and the destinationlocation. A solution route is formed of a series of connected roadand/or pedestrian segments over which the pedestrian can travel from thestarting location to the destination location. When the routecalculation function 124 calculates a route, it accesses the geographicdatabase 116 and obtains road segment data entities 304 and/orpedestrian segment data entities 308 that represent segments around andbetween the starting location and the destination location. The routecalculation function 124 uses the information in the road and/orpedestrian segment data entities 304 and 308 to attempt to determine atleast one valid solution route from the starting location to thedestination location. In determining a valid solution route for thepedestrian to travel, the route calculation program 124 uses the dataattributes associated with the road and/or pedestrian segment dataentities to account for walking preferences (e.g., paved surface, treelined). The route calculation function 124 may attempt to find asolution route that takes the least time to travel, that covers theleast distance, or that meets some other specifiable criteria.

The route calculation function 124 may use various means or algorithmsin determining solution routes. Methods for route calculation aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,314, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein. (The methods disclosed in theaforementioned patent represent only some of the ways that routes can becalculated and the claimed subject matter herein is not limited to anyparticular method of route calculation. Any suitable route calculationmethod now known or developed in the future may be employed.)

The route calculation function 124 provides an output. In oneembodiment, the output of the route calculation function 124 is in theform of an ordered list 1400 identifying a plurality of road and/orpedestrian segment data entities. FIG. 14 illustrates the pedestriansegment data entities 308 (i.e., seg1, seg2, seg3, . . . , seg(E),seg(F)) from the geographic database 116 included in an exemplary outputlist 1300 generated by the route calculation function 124. The pluralityof pedestrian segment data entities 1400 represent the pedestriansegments that form the continuous navigable route between the origin andthe destination that had been calculated by the route calculationfunction 124. (The route calculation function 124 may calculate morethan one solution route.)

VI. Route Guidance for a Pedestrian

As discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 1, the navigation system 100includes navigation application software programs 110 that provide thevarious navigation features and functions. The navigation functions andfeatures may include route guidance 126 for a pedestrian. The routeguidance function 126 provides detailed direction for reaching a desireddestination. In one embodiment, the list 1400 of pedestrian segment dataentities determined by the route calculation function 124 is provided tothe route guidance function 126. The route guidance function 126 usesthe information in the list 1400, as well as additional information fromthe geographic database 116, to provide instructions to the end user totravel the route defined by the list 1400 output by the routecalculation function 124. The route guidance function 126 may includefunctions that identify locations along the calculated route at whichmaneuvering instructions may be provided to the end user. The routeguidance function 126 may provide the maneuvering instructions all atonce, or alternatively, the route guidance function 126 may provide themaneuvering instructions one at a time as the pedestrian is traveling.In one embodiment, each maneuvering instruction is provided separately(or in small groups of combined maneuvering instructions) in advance ofwhen the specific maneuver is required to be taken so that the end usercan prepare to make the required maneuver. The output of the routeguidance function 126 is provided to the end user through a userinterface 114 included on the computing platform 102. The output of theroute guidance may be conveyed audibly through speech synthesis or on avisual display.

Methods for providing route guidance using geographic data are disclosedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,013, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference. (The methods disclosed in theaforementioned patent represent only some of the ways that routeguidance can be calculated and the claimed subject matter herein is notlimited to any particular method of route guidance. Any suitable routeguidance method now known or developed in the future may be employed.)

In order to provide maneuvering instructions at appropriate times and/orlocations, the navigation system 100 uses data from the positioningsystem (112 in FIG. 1). The positioning system 112 determines theposition of the pedestrian (computing platform 102) as he or she istraveling. A positioning (map-matching) function 130 in the navigationprogramming 110 compares the pedestrian's position determined by thepositioning system 112 to the positions of the pedestrian segmentsrepresented by the pedestrian segment data entities in the solutionwalking route 1400. Using this comparison, the maneuver instructions,which are related to positions along the solution walking route, can beprovided at appropriates times as these positions are approached.

The route guidance function 126 may also provide the end user withinformation about the remaining distance to the destination location.The list 1400 of pedestrian segment data entities from the routecalculation function 124 may also be provided to the map displayfunction 128. The map display function 128 uses the information in thelist 1400, as well as additional information from the geographicdatabase 116, to provide graphical maps on a display of the userinterface 114. The graphical maps illustrate the areas through which thecalculated route passes. The path of the calculated route may behighlighted on the displayed maps.

The route guidance function 126 includes a pedestrian guidance functionthat generates pedestrian guidance messages having sufficientinformation to guide the pedestrian along the calculated walking routeand to reduce the likelihood of the pedestrian becoming confused as totheir orientation. In one embodiment, the pedestrian guidance functiongenerates a pedestrian guidance message for each pedestrian segment inthe ordered list 1400 from the route calculation function 124. In theexemplary embodiment, each pedestrian guidance message provides areference to a previous pedestrian segment (if any), followed by areference to a current orientation node, followed by a reference to acurrent pedestrian segment, which is followed by a reference to a nextorientation node. Not all pedestrian guidance messages contain all fourreferences. In one embodiment, data in the orientation node dataentities 310 and the pedestrian segment data entities 308 of thegeographic database 116 indicate what information to include in thepedestrian guidance message.

FIG. 15 is a flow chart that depicts the steps performed by thepedestrian guidance function to generate a pedestrian guidance message,according to an exemplary embodiment. At block 1500, the pedestrianguidance function determines whether to reference a previous pedestriansegment. At block 1502, the pedestrian guidance function determineswhether to reference a current orientation node. At block 1504, thepedestrian guidance function determines whether to provide a directionof travel. At block 1506, the pedestrian guidance function includes areference to a current pedestrian segment. At block 1508, the pedestrianguidance function determines whether to reference a next orientationnode. At block 1510, the pedestrian guidance message is created based onthe determinations performed at blocks 1500-1504, 1508-1510 and thereference to the current pedestrian segment performed at block 1506. Thesteps performed by the pedestrian guidance function for constructing thepedestrian guidance message are described with more detail withreference to FIGS. 16A-16D.

FIGS. 16A-16D are flow charts that depict a more detailed method ofconstructing the pedestrian guidance message as specified in FIG. 15,according to an exemplary embodiment. At block 1600, the pedestrianguidance function determines whether the pedestrian guidance messageshould reference a previous pedestrian segment. Specifically, at block1602, the pedestrian guidance function obtains the after me data 308(5)in the pedestrian segment data record 308 in the geographic database 116for the previous pedestrian segment of the ordered list 1400, if any.The after me data may contain a yes or a no. At block 1604, if the afterme data of the previous pedestrian segment indicates a yes, then thepedestrian guidance function begins the pedestrian guidance message withthe word “after.” At block 1606, if the pedestrian guidance messagebegins with the word “after,” the pedestrian guidance function retrievesthe name of the previous pedestrian segment from the name data 308(4) ofthe previous pedestrian segment data record 308 and adds the name to thepedestrian guidance message. A comma is then added to the pedestrianguidance message for grammatical purposes. Otherwise, at block 1608, thepedestrian guidance message does not begin with a reference to theprevious pedestrian segment.

At block 1610, the pedestrian guidance function determines whether toreference a current orientation node in the pedestrian guidance message.At block 1612, the pedestrian guidance function obtains the atexplication data in the current orientation node data record 310 in thegeographic database 116. The at explication data may contain a yes or ano. At block 1614, if the at explication data contains a yes, then thepedestrian guidance function begins or continues the pedestrian guidancemessage with the word “at.” At block 1616, the pedestrian guidancefunction obtains name of the current orientation node from theorientation node name data for the current orientation node data recordand adds the name to the pedestrian guidance message. A comma is thenadded to the pedestrian guidance message for grammatical purposes.Otherwise, at block 1618, the pedestrian guidance message does notinclude the name of the current orientation node.

At block 1620, the pedestrian guidance function determinates whether toprovide a direction of travel. At block 1622, the pedestrian guidancefunction checks the calculate angle data in the geographic database 116for the current orientation node data record. The calculate angle datamay be filled with a yes or a no. At block 1624, if the calculate angledata contains a yes, then the pedestrian guidance function calculates anangle between the previous pedestrian segment and the current pedestriansegment. In one embodiment, the magnitude and the direction of the anglebetween the two pedestrian segments is determined using the angle outdata associated with the previous pedestrian segment and the angle indata associated with the current pedestrian segment. The magnitude anddirection of the calculated angle is then used to determine whichdirectional text to add to a pedestrian guidance message. For example,if the magnitude of the angle between the two pedestrian segments isless than ten degrees, then a phrase such as “continue straight” may beadded to the pedestrian guidance message. As the magnitude of the angleincreases, the direction of the angle may be used to determine whetherto direct the pedestrian to turn to the left or to the right.Additionally, a phrase indicative of the magnitude of the turn may beadded to the message. For example, the word “slight” may be added to themessage for smaller angles and the word “sharp” may be added to themessage when the angle between the pedestrian segments is large.

After the angle calculation is performed, at block 1626, the pedestrianguidance function adds text describing the direction of travel to thepedestrian guidance message. The text may be chosen based on themagnitude and the direction of the angle. For example, the text may be:turn sharp left, turn left, turn slight left, continue straight, turnslight right, turn right, and turn sharp right. After the directionaltext is added to the pedestrian guidance message, at block 1628 thepedestrian guidance function includes the word “and” to the pedestrianguidance message. Otherwise, at block 1630, the pedestrian guidancemessage does not include the direction of travel.

At block 1632, the pedestrian guidance function determines how toreference a current pedestrian segment in the pedestrian guidance. Atblock 1634, the pedestrian guidance function determines whether thepedestrian segment data record 308 for the current pedestrian segmentincludes a phrase ID. If a phrase ID exists, at block 1636, thepedestrian guidance function adds the word “walk” to the pedestrianguidance message. At block 1638, the pedestrian guidance functionidentifies the phrase associated with the pedestrian segment and addsthe phrase to the pedestrian guidance message. The phrase ID datarepresent a number associated with a particular phrase, such as thephrase IDs and corresponding phrases depicted in Table I. At block 1640,the pedestrian guidance function obtains the name of the currentpedestrian segment from the name data 308(4) and adds the name to thepedestrian guidance message. Otherwise, at block 1642, the pedestrianguidance message includes only the name of the current pedestriansegment.

At block 1644, the pedestrian guidance function determines whether toreference the next orientation node. At block 1646, the pedestrianguidance function obtains data from the explicate node data record308(6)(1) of the pedestrian segment data record 308. As illustrated inFIG. 11, the do not explicate reference or non-reference node data maybe filled with a yes or a no. At block 1648, if the do not explicatereference or non-reference node data contain a no, then the pedestrianguidance message then includes the word “toward.” At block 1650, theword “toward” is followed by the name in the orientation node namerecord 310(2)(3). Otherwise, the pedestrian guidance message does notinclude the next orientation node name.

FIGS. 17A and 17B provide two examples of the pedestrian guidancefunction using information from the geographic database 116 to generatepedestrian guidance messages. In FIG. 17A, example 1, the pedestrianguidance function obtains the illustrated data for the previouspedestrian segment, the current orientation node, the current pedestriansegment and the next orientation node. For example 1, the pedestrianguidance function obtains a no for the after me data of the previouspedestrian segment; a yes for the at explication data, “the statue” forthe node name data, and a yes for the calculate angle data of thecurrent orientation node; a “10” (corresponding to “along”) for thephrase ID data, “the brick path” for the segment name data, and a no forthe do not explicate reference node data of the current pedestriansegment; and “the pond” for the node name of the next orientation node.

Because the after me data contains a no, the pedestrian guidance messagedoes not begin with the word “after” followed by a previous pedestriansegment name. Because the at explication data contains a yes, thepedestrian guidance message begins with the word “at” followed by thename of the current orientation node. A comma may then be added to theintroductory phrase for grammatical purposes. Accordingly, theintroductory phrase for the pedestrian guidance message in Example 1 is“At the statue.”

Continuing with example 1, maneuver text is added to the introductoryphrase because the calculate angle data contains a yes. The pedestrianguidance function calculates the angle between the previous pathwaysegment and the current pathway segment. The magnitude and direction ofthe angle determines what maneuver text to add to the pedestrianguidance message. In this example, the angle corresponds with the phrase“turn right” which is added to the message. The word “and” is then addedto the message after the maneuver text.

Because the phrase ID data is filled with the number 10, the pedestrianguidance message includes the word “walk” followed by the phraseassociated with phrase ID 10, which is depicted in Table I as the word“along.” The name of the current pedestrian segment “the brick path” isthen added to the message.

Because the do not explicate reference node data is filled with a no,the message in Example 1 concludes with the word “toward” followed bythe name of the next orientation node, “the pond.” As a result, thepedestrian guidance message in example 1 is “At the statue, turn rightand walk along the brick path toward the pond.”

In FIG. 17B, example 2, the pedestrian guidance function obtains theillustrated data for the previous pedestrian segment, the currentorientation node, current pedestrian segment and next orientation node.For example 2, the pedestrian guidance function obtains a no for theafter me data of the previous pedestrian segment; a yes for the atexplication data, “the fountain” for the node name data, and a no forthe calculate angle data of the current orientation node; a “4”(corresponding to “keeping <blank> on your right”) for the phrase IDdata, “the kayaking course” for the segment name data, and a yes for thedo not explicate reference node data of the current pedestrian segment;and “the kayaking course” for the node name of the next orientationnode.

Because the after me data contains a no, the pedestrian guidance messagedoes not begin with the word “after” followed by a previous pedestriansegment name. Because the at explication data contains a yes, thepedestrian guidance message begins with the word “at” followed by thename of the current orientation node. A comma may then be added to theintroductory phrase for grammatical purposes. Accordingly, theintroductory phrase for the pedestrian guidance message in example 2 is“At the fountain.”

Continuing with example 2, no maneuver text is added to the introductoryphrase because the calculate angle data contains a no. Because thephrase ID data is filled with the number 4, the pedestrian guidancemessage includes the word “walk” followed by the phrase associated withphrase ID 4, which is depicted in Table I as the phrase “keeping <blank>on your right.” The name of the current pedestrian segment “the kayakingcourse” is then added to the message. Because the do not explicatereference node data is a yes, the message concludes without referencingthe name of the next orientation node. As a result, the pedestrianguidance message in example 2 is “At the fountain, walk keeping thekayaking course on your right.”

As depicted in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the pedestrian guidance messagesinitially orient the pedestrian by referencing either an orientationnode name or a pedestrian segment name that the pedestrian can currentlysee (e.g., at the statue, at the fountain). This initial orientation mayprovide reassurance to the pedestrian that they are starting at thecorrect location. The pedestrian guidance message may then provideguidance as to how to travel from this starting point, includingmaneuvers as necessary. In alternative embodiments, the pedestrianreceives additional guidance as necessary.

VII. Example of Route Guidance for a Pedestrian

FIGS. 18A, 18B and 18C illustrate examples of a pedestrian guidancemessages displayed on the user interface 114 of the computing platform102. Referring to FIGS. 18A and 18B, the pedestrian is arriving at atrain station and wants to walk to the beach. With the user interface114 of the computing platform 102, the pedestrian enters his or herdesired destination of the beach. In one embodiment, the user devicedetermines the pedestrian's origin; alternatively, the pedestrian entershis or her origin of the train station. The navigation system 100performs the route calculation function 124 in the manner describedabove using the geographic database with the collected pedestrian datato generate a list of connected pedestrian segments from the trainstation to the beach. The navigation system then performs the routeguidance function 126 in the manner described above using the geographicdatabase 116 with the collected pedestrian data to provide thepedestrian guidance messages illustrated in FIGS. 18A.

Referring to FIG. 18A, the user interface 114 displays a firstpedestrian guidance message 1800 that provides guidance from the trainplatform to K Street exit for a train station:

“Turn right after exiting the train. After entering the station, turnright and walk down the stairs. After reaching the bottom of the stairs,veer to the left and head towards the escalators. Go through the doorsto the right of the escalators onto K Street.”

Referring to FIG. 18B, after the pedestrian has exited the trainstation, the user interface 114 displays a second pedestrian guidancemessage 1802 which initially orients the pedestrian by referencing theorigin provided by the pedestrian or the user device. The phrase “At thetrain station” references a readily visible feature, the train station,in close proximity to the pedestrian. The message then describes thesecond pedestrian segment by directing the pedestrian to “turn right”and walk “along K Street” toward the orientation node referenced withthe “traffic signal.” Upon reaching the end of the second pedestriansegment of the calculated route, the user interface 114 displays apedestrian guidance message 1804. The message 1804 orientates thepedestrian and provides a maneuver instruction of “turn left.” Themessage 1804 then describes the third pedestrian segment by directingthe pedestrian to walk “along North Avenue” toward the next orientationnode referenced with “the cul-de-sac.” Upon reaching the end of thethird pedestrian segment of the calculated route, the user interface 114displays a fourth pedestrian guidance message 1806. The message 1806orientates the pedestrian at the orientation node and describes thefourth pedestrian segment by directing the pedestrian to walk “down thestairs” toward the next orientation node referenced with “the tunnel.”Upon reaching the end of the fourth pedestrian segment of the calculatedroute, the user interface 114 displays a fifth pedestrian guidancemessage 1808. The message 1808 orientates the pedestrian and describesthe fifth pedestrian segment by directing the pedestrian to walk“through the tunnel.” Upon reaching the end of the fifth pedestriansegment of the calculated route, the user interface 114 displays apedestrian guidance message 1810. The message 1810 orientates thepedestrian and provides a maneuver instruction of “turn right.” Themessage 1810 then describes the sixth pedestrian segment by directingthe pedestrian to walk “across the bicycle path” toward the nextorientation node referenced with “the beach,” the pedestrian's desireddestination.

Referring to FIG. 18C, the pedestrian is at the beach and wants to walkto the zoo. With the user interface 114 of the computing platform 102,the pedestrian enters his or her desired destination of the zoo. Thenavigation system 100 performs the route calculation function 124 in themanner described above using the geographic database with the collectedpedestrian data to generate a list of connected pedestrian segments fromthe beach to the zoo. The navigation system then performs the routeguidance function 126 in the manner described above using the geographicdatabase 116 with the collected pedestrian data to provide thepedestrian guidance messages illustrated in FIGS. 18C.

Referring to FIG. 18C, the user interface 114 displays a firstpedestrian guidance message 1812 initially orienting the pedestrian byreferencing the origin provided by the pedestrian or the user device.The phrase “At the boat house” references a point of interest, namely areadily visible boat house, in close proximity to the origin of thepedestrian. The message then describes the first pedestrian segment bydirecting the pedestrian to walk “keeping Lake Michigan on your right”toward the orientation node referenced with the “pedestrian bridge.”Upon reaching the end of the first pedestrian segment of the calculatedroute, the user interface 114 displays a second pedestrian guidancemessage 1814. The second message 1814 describes the second pedestriansegment by directing the pedestrian to walk “across the pedestrianbridge.” Upon reaching the end of the second pedestrian segment of thecalculated route, the user interface 114 displays a third pedestrianguidance message 1816. The third message 1816 orientates the pedestrianat the orientation node and describes the third pedestrian segment bydirecting the pedestrian to walk “keeping the parking lot on your right”toward the next orientation node referenced with “the volleyball court.”Upon reaching the end of the third pedestrian segment of the calculatedroute, the user interface 114 displays a fourth pedestrian guidancemessage 1818. The fourth message 1818 orientates the pedestrian andprovides a maneuver instruction of “turn left.” The fourth message thendescribes the fourth pedestrian segment by directing the pedestrian towalk “up the hill” toward the next orientation node referenced as “thestatue of a man on a horse.” Upon reaching the end of the fourthpedestrian segment of the calculated route, the user interface 114displays a fifth pedestrian guidance message 1820. The fifth message1820 orientates the pedestrian and describes the fifth pedestriansegment by directing the pedestrian to walk “toward the zoo entrancenext to the flag pole,” the pedestrian's desired destination.

FIGS. 18A, 18B and 18C depict pedestrian guidance messages displayed onthe user interface 114 of the computing platform 102; however, thepedestrian guidance messages may be an audio message in anotherembodiment. Additionally, the computing platform 102 illustrated inFIGS. 18A, 18B and 18C is a PDA; however, other user devices, such as acellular telephone, may also be used to provide the pedestrian guidancemessage to the pedestrian. Further, a person may obtain the pedestrianguidance messages prior to walking. For example, a person may getpedestrian guidance messages from an in-vehicle navigation system or acomputer, which may be printed and taken with the person to a walkingorigin location. As yet another example, the pedestrian may obtainpedestrian guidance from a public-access device, such as an Internet website, a computer terminal, or a kiosk. Additionally, the text in themessage may be converted to a voice message using standardtext-to-speech techniques.

While the FIGS. 18A, 18B and 18C depict pedestrian guidance messagesthat a pedestrian may receive from the navigation system 100, thenavigation system 100 may also provide additional pedestrian guidance inthe form of maps and images. In one embodiment, the navigation systemuses the list 1400 of road and/or pedestrian segments to provide adisplay of a map with a route highlight corresponding to the route. Inanother embodiment, the navigation system 100 may also provide images ofportions of the route. A more detailed description of providing imagesmay be found in the co-pending application entitled “METHOD OF OPERATINGA NAVIGATION SYSTEM USING IMAGES” filed the same date herewith, AttorneyDocket No. N0193US, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated byreference herein. In another embodiment, the pedestrian guidancemessages may share the screen with images, or the user device mayinclude a push button selection that allows the pedestrian to togglebetween the pedestrian guidance message and the map and/or images. Asthe pedestrian walks, a pedestrian guidance message, map, and/or imagesmay orient the pedestrian and provide confirmation that the pedestrianis traveling in the correct direction. The type of device that thepedestrian is using to request the pedestrian guidance may determinewhat type of pedestrian guidance the pedestrian receives. For example,if the pedestrian uses a device that cannot support graphics, thepedestrian may only receive a pedestrian guidance message.

VIII. Further Embodiments

In one embodiment, the pedestrian data discussed above may be used foridentifying a user's current location in the absence of a GPS signal andlocal knowledge of the area. For example, a user unfamiliar with thearea may not know street names and street addresses. The followingmethod may be used for origin selection in place of the current positionfrom the GPS positioning system or entry of address or streetinformation. In one embodiment, the user enters a desired destination.Based on a proximity to the destination, such as a typical walkingdistance for a pedestrian of 2 kilometers, the navigation system 100presents the user with a series of questions asking if a specificgeographic feature is visible from the user's current location, such as“Do you see a harbor?” or “Do you see a Ferris wheel?” The navigationsystem 100 selects visible features for the questions from the name ofthe pedestrian segments and orientation nodes in the database 116proximate the selected destination. When the user answers one of thequestions affirmatively, the navigation system 100 focuses the questionsto features close to the location of the visible feature to identify theprecise segment or node at which the user is located.

Furthermore, although the above description has been describing thenavigation features and functions for a pedestrian, any other mode oftransportation may also be used, such as motor vehicle, motorcycle,scooter, inline-skates, bicycle or any other. The claims should not beread as limited to the described order or elements unless stated to thateffect. All embodiments that come within the scope and spirit of thefollowing claims and equivalents thereto are claimed as the invention.

We claim:
 1. A method of operating a navigation system comprising:receiving a request for a pedestrian route between a first locationinside a building and a second location inside the building; accessing ageographic database stored on a computer readable medium associated withthe navigation system to obtain data representing a plurality ofpedestrian paths located inside the building, wherein at least one ofthe pedestrian paths is identified from a floor plan of the building;determining a route comprising a series of connected pedestrian pathsbetween the first location and the second location; accessing thegeographic database to obtain data representing a feature visible fromat least one of the pedestrian paths of the route; and providing aguidance message for following the route, wherein the guidance messageidentifies the feature.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pedestrianpaths located inside the building are one of the paths from the groupof: hallway, corridor, stairs, escalator, and elevator.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising: accessing the geographic database forattribute information of the pedestrian paths, wherein the attributeinformation is wheel chair accessibility.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein the building is an office building, a retail store, arestaurant, a school, a museum, a library or a transit terminal.
 5. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the feature visible from at least one of thepedestrian paths is an office, a cubicle or office equipment.
 6. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: accessing information indicatingan entrance to the building from the geographic database.
 7. The methodof claim 1 wherein least one of the pedestrian paths inside the buildingpasses through an area where no defined path exist.
 8. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the route guidance message indicates whether the featurevisible from at least one of the pedestrian paths is on the left orright.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising: providing aphotographic image of a portion of the route inside the building.
 10. Anavigation system comprising: a processor, a geographic database storedon a computer readable medium associated with the processor, a routecalculation program executed on the processor, wherein the routecalculation program receives a request for a route between a firstlocation in a building and a second location inside the building, anddetermines a solution route comprising a series of connected pedestrianpaths between the first location and the second location, and a routeguidance program executed on the processor, wherein the route guidanceprogram provides at least one guidance message for following thesolution route, wherein the guidance message references a featurevisible from at least one of the pedestrian paths of the solution route.11. The system of claim 10 wherein the pedestrian paths are from thegroup of: hallway, corridor, stairs, escalator, and elevator.
 12. Thesystem of claim 10 wherein the building is an office building, a retailstore, a restaurant, a school, a museum, a library or a transitterminal.
 13. The system of claim 10 wherein at least one of thepedestrian paths is identified from a floor plan.
 14. The system ofclaim 10 wherein the route calculation program obtains informationindicating an entrance to the building.
 15. The system of claim 10wherein least one of the pedestrian paths passes through an area whereno defined path exist.
 16. The system of claim 10 wherein the featurevisible from at least one of the pedestrian paths is an office, acubicle or office equipment.
 17. The system of claim 10 wherein theroute guidance message indicates whether the feature visible from atleast one of the pedestrian paths is on the left or right.
 18. A methodof operating a navigation system comprising: receiving a request for apedestrian route between a first location and a second location insidethe building; obtaining data representing a plurality of paths locatedinside the building from a geographic database stored on a computerreadable medium associated with the navigation system; determining asolution route comprising a series of connected paths between the firstlocation and the second location; and generating a guidance message forfollowing the route, wherein the guidance message identifies a featurevisible from at least one of the pedestrian paths.
 19. The method ofclaim 18 wherein at least one of the pedestrian paths is identified froma floor plan.
 20. The method of claim 18 further comprising: obtaininginformation indicating an entrance to the building from the geographicdatabase.